I swallowed, my nails digging into the handle of my suitcase. The sound of the door slamming shut in my face echoed through me. The plan I had hoped I wouldn’t have to use was looking increasingly more attractive. I turned on my heel and walked away from the door. I had nowhere to go. No way to get there other than my own feet, but I’d figure it out.
By the time I got to the end of the driveway, the aches that hadn’t presented from the night before were starting to surface. A dully pounding started at the base of my skull. My stomach growled, and while part of me regretted leaving Brightclaw so quickly, there was no way I could regret escaping Tyler and Vivian.
The road before me stretched on for miles. It would take at least an hour at my pace to even reach the highway where I could maybe hope to hitchhike to the city. A pair of guards for Frostborne rode past me in a golf cart my mother’s money paid for. They didn’t even stop to ask if they could help. I had figured that no one in the pack would drive me back to the city. Philip was the type to announce his decree loudly within his own pack and watch everyone closely to ensure compliance.
He got a lot of practice compelling people into obedience. I pulled out my phone, my fingers cold as I tried to call Dominic. He couldn’t have gotten too far, but I had no service. Considering that I definitely had service last night and Frostborne is nowhere near as remote as Brightclaw, I could only guess this was Philip’s doing. I let out a slow breath, pushing down the frustration clawing at my chest. I wasn’t going to panic. If I had to walk all the way to town myself, then I would.
The first mile wasn’t so bad. The second, I could still convince myself this was fine. By the third, my flats had started to rub uncomfortably against my heels, and my legs ached with every step.
Then the rain started. Somewhere between the fourth and fifth mile, my feet felt like raw blisters, my soaked clothes clinging to me like a second skin. This sucked, but I was grateful that at least this time I could feel the rain as I could have still been just a ghost watching my murderers benefit from their betrayal. My throat tightened. I shoved the thought away. Now was not the time to think about them.
Eventually, I reached the highway. It was already slick with rain, and based on what I knew, the city still more than ten miles away. My legs ached, and every step sent a dull throb through my feet.
But I kept walking.
If my wolf had awakened already, I could have shifted, but in my past life, I hadn’t awakened even after I got married, though it was pretty standard that I should have awakened around my 25th birthday. Thinking back, I should have known there was something wrong when, even at my happiest with Tyler, my wolf did not come to me.
I slipped in the mud, barely catching my balance when a low hum of an approaching car broke through the steady patter of rain. Before I could turn my head, the sleek black car pulled up beside me, rolling smoothly to a stop. The back window lowered, and I didn’t need to see who it was to know.
Dominic.
His eyes burned with fury as he took me in. He didn’t say anything as he opened the car door and stepped out, extending an umbrella over me. The warm air of the car, filled with his scent rushed out and swirled around me.
The driver was already out, retrieving my suitcase.
“Get in.”
Gratefully, I slid into the warm interior, only to freeze.
Vivian was there.
She looked me up and down, her lips curling. “Wow. Someone’s having a rough day.”
I clenched my jaw, willing myself not to react. Dominic slid in beside me, his displeasure still thick in the air. I hoped it was all directed at Philip,
but I wasn’t about to ask.
As the car pulled back onto the road, Dominic finally spoke. “You should have called.”
“No service.”
His expression darkened and turned to the driver. “We still have time. Take us back to Brightclaw.”
“No, wait,” I said. I couldn’t go back to Brightclaw, not to deal with Tyler or his father, let alone Vivian. “I have plans to study.” I smiled sweetly, not looking at Vivian though I knew what I’d say next would infuriate her. “Neil and the others already said they were running a bit late.”
Dominic’s eyes narrowed briefly. Was that jealous? Anger? I had no idea, but when I glanced at Vivian when he looked away her whole demeanor had tightened into something vicious, her nails tapping sharply against the leather seat.
“Very well. To the city then.”
The driver rolled to a stop in front of the Apex one of the nicer hotels in the city.
11/3
5:04 PM
+15
Chapter 8
“You should call. The internet here is stable.”
“Thank you for the ride,” I said as the driver stepped out to get my bag.
Vivian forced a smile. “You should let me know where you’ll be. Maybe I’ll join your little study group.”
“You won’t have time. We have pack business.”
Her lips pressed together in irritation, but she didn’t argue.
I nodded, forcing an easy smile. “Thanks again for the ride, Dominic.”
I stepped out of the car and dragged my suitcase toward the doors. The hotel lobby was warm, a stark contrast to the rain still clinging to my clothes. I stepped up to the reception desk to set up a reservation for a few days, but when I swiped my card, she frowned.
“I’m sorry, ma’am. It’s been declined.”
That uneasy feeling I’d been ignoring twisted into something sharper. I tried again, and it didn’t work. I tried all my other cards with the same result, and then my personal debit card, too.
It didn’t work either.
The credit cards were one thing, but my debit card? Heart hammering, I checked my banking app. The money was there, sitting untouched in my account. But next to it was a small, infuriating message:
ACCESS LOCKED. CONTACT ADMINISTRATOR.
Philip.
Of course he wouldn’t just kick me out—he’d make sure I had nowhere to go. No money. No way to survive. I turned away from the desk, gripping the handle of my suitcase so tightly my knuckles ached. Outside, the rain had slowed to a drizzle, the streets shining under streetlights. I needed a plan.
I found a coffee shop nearby and took the nearest seat to the window. My mind raced, running through every possible option, each one worse than
the last.
Then, a familiar voice cut through my spiral.
“Renee?”
I looked up to see Maya, one of my classmates from my master’s program. Her dark eyes widened as she took in my state–damp hair, tired eyes, suitcase at my side.
“I heard about the engagement,” she said carefully as she slid into the chair across from me. “Didn’t expect to see you out here, though.”
I exhaled, debating how much to say. But when my throat tightened, when the weight of it all threatened to choke me, the words spilled out.
“Philip cut me off,” I admitted. “Turned off my phone, froze my accounts–everything.”
Maya’s expression darkened. “That’s insane…”
I let out a dry laugh. “That’s Philip.”
For a moment, she was quiet. Then, with a decisive nod, she said, “You’re coming with me.”
1 blinked. “What?”
“You need a place to stay, right? It’s not the Apex, but I’ve got a couch, a kitchen, a bathroom, and I don’t need you to pay me.”
Relief surged so fast it made my head spin. “Are you sure?”
She rolled her eyes. Of course, I’m sure. Let’s go before you catch a cold or something
When we got to her place–a small but cozy apartment–Maya handed me a towel and some spare clothes. As I dried off, she sat on the armrest of the couch, arms crossed.
“Okay,” she said. “What really happened with your engagement? You’re not the type to make a scene…”
I hesitated, then told her the truth about Tyler and Vivian. Her eyes widened in disbelief.
“That… You know, when they say who needs enemies when you have friends?” She shook her head. “I’m so sorry.”
Not as sorry as I was, looking back. Maya had been at my wedding with this thin, pasted on smile, then I never saw her again, not even at my anniversary party. I guess, I’d be around to figure out why.
“Thank you for letting me stay,” I said, my voice heavy with exhaustion.
I lay down on her couch and sleep took me before I’d even heard her leave the room.
The sound of my phone ringing yanked me from sleep not quite long enough later. It was my VoIP number, my backup number for all of my records.
I answered it and frowned at the automated voice.
Please contact the financial aid office immediately regarding your tuition balance.
